The field of this disclosure relates generally to blades and, more particularly, to a method and a system for manufacturing blades.
Many known gas turbine engine compressors include rotor blades that extend radially outwardly from a disk or spool to a blade tip to define an airflow path through the engine. In operation, air flowing through the engine imparts significant mechanical stresses (e.g., chordwise bending stresses) on the blades, causing the blades to crack or otherwise fail over time. As such, at least some known rotor blades are formed from plies of composite material using a curing process, adding structural support to the blades.
At least some known compressor rotor blades have a larger cross-sectional area proximate the root of the blade to form a dovetail for coupling the blade to the disk or spool. During the curing process however, residual stresses may be induced in at least some known rotor blades. Such residual stresses increase the likelihood that the blade will fail under the thermal and/or mechanical stresses imparted on the blade during operation of the gas turbine engine, reducing the longevity and durability of at least some known blades.